What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

Fast Eddie · Jan 24, 2023

Torontonian said:
The fun part of working on the street with snowflakes falling ( very pretty , BTW. ) is how easily you get distracted by neighbours seeing that you are working and want to yap .
Pulled clutch lever assembly using my new Genuine Norton gearbox lock ring tool . The ball 04 0031 , I'm somewhat sure then fell on the ground and proceeded to roll on the pavement straight to the nearest sewer grate , 4 ft. away . Fun and games . Looks like I'll be adding it to the new Walridge order tonight . Sprayed with storage seal and bungee corded a plastic bag tight over the inner cover . Oh yes , the kickstart shaft when pulled back and forth after removing the kicker spring moved in and out quite a bit so I will now be shimming it up tighter as per. the Old Britts article . In the spring . Double covered up bike . Big blizzard tomorrow , then Nicaragua . Grateful for the weather up to now . Global Warming .

I am so impressed.

Working on your bike in the street in near freezing temps!

I’ve been there of course, a lot, but years of a heated shop and bike lift have clearly made me soft.

My fingers hurt just by reading your posts !

KiwiShane · Jan 25, 2023

Had some longer stacks spun down so to fit new filters
A friend of mine is now doing exhaust thread repairs ....our old local specialist retired a few years back
[Edit]
Not big...on the present colour but a bloody good Aussie made filter if you are in a squeeze and need clean air

Torontonian · Jan 25, 2023

Fast Eddie said:
I am so impressed.

Working on your bike in the street in near freezing temps!

I’ve been there of course, a lot, but years of a heated shop and bike lift have clearly made me soft.

My fingers hurt just by reading your posts !

Today the wife dragged a tall pylon through the blizzard over to the Norton's new winter hibernation spot . I did not ask her to do that , she offered . She's a prize for sure .
2 things help me too , the 1 " thick foamy pad , designed for kneeling work . Quite comfortable at $3 . That and my trout fishing gloves , I have several pairs over the years , only the thumb and forefinger tips are exposed to tie up hooks or release fish but also great for cold metal touchings .
Blizzard now running horizontally to street . Moved the Norton yesterday pre-blizzard . Many smash ups now on the news with a warning to stay off the roads ( if you can see them ... ) .

Big_Jim59 · Jan 25, 2023

I installed the rear brake peddle safety spring in a cold garage. I had a piece of inner tube rubber wrapped around the brake peddle but these tend to get neglected, crack and split over time. The spring is much more reliable and offers a positive lift to the peddle. If you have ever broken a rear brake cable then this upgrade will seem really important.

nopdog · Jan 25, 2023

Big_Jim59 said:
I installed the rear brake peddle safety spring in a cold garage. I had a piece of inner tube rubber wrapped around the brake peddle but these tend to get neglected, crack and split over time. The spring is much more reliable and offers a positive lift to the peddle. If you have ever broken a rear brake cable then this upgrade will seem really important.

Hey Big Jim.
If you could take a close up picture of the installation and post. That would be great. I’ve got one but can’t figure out how it goes on. Thanks.

Torontonian · Jan 25, 2023

Got the blind ratchet assembly bush out . It was a battle using heat gun , needle vice grips , tiny file , dremel grinder tip until it broke , screwdrivers to prise it out . New bush arrives tomorrow . I'll heat the case again , freeze the new bush and tap it home using a socket .

Big_Jim59 · Jan 25, 2023

nopdog said:
Hey Big Jim.
If you could take a close up picture of the installation and post. That would be great. I’ve got one but can’t figure out how it goes on. Thanks.

Take a look at this on BritBike.com

https://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/787749/rear-brake-safety-pedal-spring-commando

The pictures are a bit confusing as the one that shows the placement of the spring tab (not the hook) is up side down. Once you understand that the long tab goes under the brake arm adjustment plate it will all make sense. The hardest part is getting the spring situated on the pivot so that there is room to push the peddle fully home on the shaft. (You kind of have to push the round part of the spring up while pushing the peddle onto the pivot.) Use an 8mm on the retaining nut. I used a large adjustable spanner on the rear brake arm to take the pressure off the cable and remove it from the cable stop.

Trust me, once you get in there you will see how it works just remeber you are pulling the peddle up..

Saber · Jan 25, 2023

Torontonian said:
Got the blind ratchet assembly bush out . It was a battle using heat gun , needle vice grips , tiny file , dremel grinder tip until it broke , screwdrivers to prise it out . New bush arrives tomorrow . I'll heat the case again , freeze the new bush and tap it home using a socket .

Im with Fast Eddie. We see a lot of good repair threads on this forum and i am following this one with interest. We just rebuilt my gearbox last year so I can follow along. But doing work on a gearbox in the street in the winter? That is most impressive and intriguing. Most of us have garages with big tool chests and lights and electric plugs - all within arms length. How do you manage the tools you need? If you forget something is it 100 yards and an elevator ride away? Heat gun means extension cords thru the snow? You are a manly man.

Torontonian · Jan 25, 2023

Saber said:
Im with Fast Eddie. We see a lot of good repair threads on this forum and i am following this one with interest. We just rebuilt my gearbox last year so I can follow along. But doing work on a gearbox in the street in the winter? That is most impressive and intriguing. Most of us have garages with big tool chests and lights and electric plugs - all within arms length. How do you manage the tools you need? If you forget something is it 100 yards and an elevator ride away? Heat gun means extension cords thru the snow? You are a manly man.

The outer cover is now inside . I have all the tools and penetrent spray to make the work go fast on a good day . On the workbench , warm inside and bushing is removed Pre- blizzard . Blizzard is over . Street is 10 ft. from my door . Bike is now double covered up and now covered in snow in a new spot until spring return from Nicaragua . Then re-assemble tranny with new gasket outer , none for the inner cover, also will be shimmed with rear iso . shim on K.S. shaft to stop the inwards / outwards movements which led to my decision to pull covers to inspect . New ratchet support bush will be frozen , then knocked in with a socket shortly . Both springs New too . Kicker Pawl looks good considering I haven't kicked in years , just for originality now forward . I have a new delicate 1 st. gear bush to be frozen and carefully tapped into place in the spring . Inner cover comes off and on then . New clutch cable then too . Saber , the most important thing is the roller lay shaft bearing change . All if I survive a 10 week fishing trip in a Latino socialist regime country . Wish me luck .

Saber · Jan 25, 2023

Yes my gearbox was functioning great but could not push my luck any further re layshaft bearing. 74 850 commando 13,000 miles. Good luck!

Torontonian · Jan 25, 2023

Saber said:
Yes my gearbox was functioning great but could not push my luck any further re layshaft bearing. 74 850 commando 13,000 miles. Good luck!

Thanks S. Be aware that your first sign of layshaft bearing failure is a kicker that goes down then comes back up at ya to hit in the rear calf muscle . Lock up is the next thing that will ruin your day . Bail out at that time and get a pick up friend or a tow home . Then the new roller tear down replacement . Sooner or later , your choice . Enjoy .

ashman · Jan 25, 2023

Torontonian said:
Thanks S. Be aware that your first sign of layshaft bearing failure is a kicker that goes down then comes back up at ya to hit in the rear calf muscle . Lock up is the next thing that will ruin your day . Bail out at that time and get a pick up friend or a tow home . Then the new roller tear down replacement . Sooner or later , your choice . Enjoy

Not always mine blew without warning when I put it in gear outside my house.

KiwiShane · Jan 25, 2023

Mine went the same at about 40 + mph...not pretty

Larry S · Jan 25, 2023

In my effort to stop oil leaks, I removed my oil tank and hoses. Cleaned everything up and replaced all hoses and clamps with new. We’ll see how it goes.

Shelby-Right · Jan 26, 2023

My Commando started to weave slightly @65mph which didntn't feel too good , after checking the swingarm and wheel , I found an issue with with my rear wheel bearings as wheel was tight and loose , I think this might have been inducing the weave , I measured the run out on my brake drum which was .006" - .008" in the lathe , two of my drive pins were a little loose , and someone has bronze welded above the cirlip area , so i have bought a new drum /sprocket and all new axel , I figured out the number 21 shim wasn't there , so for now I added a shim style washer and presto , all tight , wheel turns free , just waiting for weather and a test ride but quite hopefull , and drum tightened with brake on , brake is better at locking wheel on shingle anyway . Cheers .

Saber · Jan 27, 2023

Torontonian said:
Thanks S. Be aware that your first sign of layshaft bearing failure is a kicker that goes down then comes back up at ya to hit in the rear calf muscle . Lock up is the next thing that will ruin your day . Bail out at that time and get a pick up friend or a tow home . Then the new roller tear down replacement . Sooner or later , your choice . Enjoy .

I was not clear in my post. Layshaft bearing was replaced during gearbox rebuild last winter.

Stevo · Jan 27, 2023

Actually got my new painted steel gas tank and side panels back from the shop today! Excited to get it at last, they did a good job, just a pity they couldn’t get the tank stripes done. Got it on the bike tonight sans hardware, so tomorrow finish off and gas it up, then fit side panels.
So glad to get the plastic one off.

Jdub · Jan 28, 2023

I was following the kickstart discussion here and decided to drill indents in my MK2 kickstart lever for a MK3 drilled pedal pin I had in hand (works great!). I can describe how if anyone wants to know but I was surprised to find I could drill the indents at all. When I thought to clean up the indents in the MK3 pedal with a 3/16" drill bit it wasn't drillable. Sorry for the quality of the pics. The measurement on the caliper is 8mm.

What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

Torontonian · Jan 30, 2023

Delivery today and somehow received a big kick start steel bush instead of the one I really need , 06-5184 . MK111 outer shifter support blind bush . The parts manual is ??? somewhat confusing with the gear box .
So jumped up to Andover Norton for a big order , with it , from U.K.
I won't be here , so good neighbours will go pick it up . Sigh . Love most of my neighbours , just wish any of them had garages , no .

Mart UK · Jan 31, 2023

50 miles today. Cold, but excellent! Needed to get the salt off pdq.

What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

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